A foodie’s guide to Madrid: where to go and what to eat

Traditional quality: the Mercado de la Paz is one of Madrid's oldest and bestCredit:
Alamy

5 August 2016 • 10:30am

Karen Krizanovich

Enjoy Madrid's diverse food scene by exploring its many neighbourhoods, each with its own vibe.

The markets, shops, restaurants that make up Madrid’s buzzing food scene are richly diverse. Every neighbourhood has its own personality and, from the upmarket Salamanca area to the hipster vibe of Lavapiés, there’s a tone for every taste in this vast city of edibles.

Mercado de Antón Martín in the bohemian Huertas district (Calle de Santa Isabel 5), is a traditional market with two floors housing 60-odd stalls selling food and everything else from shoes to ceramics.

Started in the early years of the Second World War, it offers a lot of high-quality surprises – and certainly this spot gives visitors a sense of old Madrid.

Bluefin tuna from the central fish market, Mexican food at Cutzamalá and delicious pastries from JonJo are all worth the trip.

In the Bartolomé market, you will find a wide range of foods from all regions of Spain – it is particularly noted for its range of hams, olive oils and turrones (traditional nougats).

Nearby are the meaty centres of Los Ferreros, which is the place for cured meats, especially hams, cheeses and fantastic saffron, and Hijos de Lechuga.

Originally this was a butchers of such high reputation that it was the preferred supplier to the royal household, aristocrats and great hotels such as the Ritz and the Grande. It still specialises in meat, cured meats and sausages.

Slightly further afield is Mantequería Andrés, which sells nothing but the very finest 100 per cent Spanish products from across the country. Despite its quality and reputation, the prices are reasonable.

The trendy, progressive district of Chueca has more than two dozen shops that sell everything from fresh meat to regional specialities such as Andalucian squid and pintxos, the Basque take on tapas, which include foie gras and mushrooms or the more traditional cod-based dishes.

Here you will find the sleek, modern San Antón Market. Located on three floors, its stalls sell an enormous range of foods with taverns and bars on the upper floor while on the third is a kitchen where you can cook what you have bought.

Three storeys isn’t news in Madrid but the all-encompassing market in hippest Malasaña (Calle Fuencarral 57) has those, and yet does not offer food for you to cook.

You stop here before you go on elsewhere: there are almost 20 stalls and a handful of bars on its trio of floors and it is open almost all the time. Veal burger with foie gras? A carefully selected Mahou beer would be perfect to accompany it.

Modern: spices at San Antón Market in MadridCredit:
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Mallorca Market (Calle de Génova 12) is two storeys of history located in the comfortably-off Chamberí area.

Here you can find quality hams and cheese, as well as those delicious doughnut-hole shaped pastries and torrijas, a kind of Lenten pain perdu. Eat at the chic lower-level restaurant or enjoy lunch on either level.

Mercado de Chamberí is in one of the most madrileño of the barrios of Madrid – you can’t get more authentic than this stunning gastronomic marketplace.

Founded in 1943 in a neighbourhood packed with traditional shops, tapas restaurants and bars, it stocks some of the best quality produce – fruits and vegetables certainly, but also delicious items straight from ovens of the famous Horno de San Onofre bakery.

The array of food is vast but so is the idea of this market: there’s even a gym with a swimming pool to help you work off all there is to eat. Residents say this is the market of their dreams.

Well-heeled Salamanca’s Mercado de la Paz (Calle de Ayala 28) has been a source of quality for more than a century. One of the city’s oldest markets, it still feels and functions like a neighbourhood favourite. Stall vendors are friendly and helpful.

Shrimply the best: seafood at the Mercado San AntonCredit:
Alamy

Fish, meats, cured meats, cheese and more are all fresh and delicious here, along with a truly magnificent array of gourmet edibles, such as tuna loin and salted cod, while their raw-food stands are also a popular attraction.

Finally, if you cannot make it out to do a proper food crawl through this teeming city of eats, do not turn your nose up at the food halls of the upmarket department stores El Corte Inglés across the city, which sells fantastic local food such as paprika, jamón ibérico, cheeses, olive oils and so much more.

A plus is that they will wrap them for you so you can put them in your luggage without a problem when travelling in the EU. Shop here for something perfect for picnics or nibbling on as you wander around the city.

For more information on the real taste of Madrid, visit mahou.com #perfectpairing #mahou